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Tulo, CarGo in running for Gold Glove Awards

Tulo, CarGo in running for Gold Glove Awards

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Tulo's nice play 0:35

9/13/13: Troy Tulowitzki corrals a grounder up the middle then makes a nice running throw to retire Aaron Hill at first in the fifth inning

By Thomas Harding
/
MLB.com |

DENVER -- Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and left fielder Carlos Gonzalez have a shot to win their third Rawlings Gold Glove Awards, and Nolan Arenado could become the first rookie third baseman to win one in the National League.

Rawlings announced the three finalists at each position in both leagues on Friday via Twitter. If any of the Rockies win in the NL, they will be in rare company in club history. The winners will be revealed Tuesday at 6 p.m. MT on ESPN2.

Tulowitzki won Gold Glove Awards in 2010 and '11; Gonzalez in 2010 and '12. If either win, they will match newly retired Todd Helton (2001-02, 2004) for the second-most awards in franchise history. Outfielder Larry Walker won five (1997-99, 2001-02) of his seven total Gold Glove Awards while with the Rockies.

Tulowitzki and Gonzalez missed significant time with injuries, but Tulowitzki's 121 appearances and Gonzalez's 110 were enough for them to earn consideration. Tulowitzki led NL in fielding percentage at .986 and ranked in the top two in range categories. Gonzalez led the league with 11 assists from left field despite his low number of games played.

Arenado, 22, didn't appear in a Major League game until April 28, but earned finalist status by leading the league in range factor per game and range factor per nine innings in his 130 defensive games.

Additionally, outfielder Eric Young Jr., who began the year with the Rockies before being traded to the Mets, was named as one of the finalists competing with Gonzalez in left field.

The winners will be determined via a slightly altered system.

Since its inception in 1957, the Gold Glove Award has relied solely on Major League managers and coaches votes to determine the best defensive players. Managers and coaches got an assist this year from the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). For the first time, Rawlings collaborated with SABR to formally incorporate sabermetrics as a component of the Gold Glove Award.

A committee of experts in baseball analytics and defensive measurement devised the SABR Defensive Index (SDI), which draws on and aggregates two types of existing defensive metrics: those derived from batted ball, location-based data, and those collected by from play-by-play accounts.

The two metrics included in the SDI from play-by-play data are defensive regression analysis, created by committee member Michael Humphreys, and total zone rating.

The plan, according to Rawlings and SABR, is to have the SDI complement the judgment by the managers and coaches. The SABR Defensive Index will account for 30 total votes -- or approximately 25 percent -- of the Gold Glove Award selection process, and will be added to the votes from the managers and coaches.

Ballots were distributed to managers and coaches in September, and they received a revamped statistical resource guide as well.